Stay With Me
by honestlydarkprincess
Summary: When Stiles calls Derek after a nightmare, he wasn't expecting the reaction he got.


**Hey, everyone!**

 **Okay, so I live for angst and fluff so I made this. I can't remember the original prompt but I'm pretty sure I found it on .com - go check their blog out, they have some awesome prompts!**

 **This fic is unBeta'd, so all mistakes are mine and mine alone! If you notice something that I should fix, I would really appreciate it if you let me know!**

 **I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

A scream tore through his throat as Stiles wrenched himself into a sitting position; breathing heavily as he tried to shake off the remnants of his nightmare. He hugged his knees to his chest and forced down the bile that rose in his throat as images of his dream assaulted his mind.

When his breathing had somewhat slowed down, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned over to grab the glass of water he'd placed on his nightstand before he had gone to bed. Stiles had been having so many nightmares lately that it was just inevitable he'd wake up like this again.

Since he always felt so dehydrated after nightmares, he had taken to getting a glass of water before bed, instead of having to go down in the middle of the night.

Stiles had woken up his dad too many times now because he needed water after a nightmare. The Sheriff needed to get as much sleep as possible; he shouldn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to comfort his newly-turned-adult son because of a few nightmares.

Or, at least, that's how Stiles saw it.

He ignored it when his dad told him to wake him up at any time and that he came first before work. As much as he would like to believe that, Stiles had gotten used to being ignored because of the newest case or because the station was short-handed again. It wasn't like his father had done it on purpose. That's just what had happened and Stiles had gotten so used to taking care of himself it felt weird to actually take his dad up on his offer to wake him up after a nightmare.

But, tonight, the nightmare had just been too bad and Stiles knew he couldn't deal with it alone. However, rather than calling his dad, who, Stiles knew, was still at the station due to working a double, Stiles decided to call Derek.

Taking one last gulp of water, Stiles put the cup on the table and grabbed his phone.

He didn't even have to scroll through his contacts, he just went to 'Favourites' and selected the first name on the list.

' **Sourwolf**.'

He brought his phone up to his ear as he curled his blanket closer around him and listened to the dial sound.

Stiles wasn't expecting Derek to pick up on the first ring, nor the way he answered.

" _Fuck off._ "

Stiles flinched back at the sound of the harsh words snarled over the phone. Derek hadn't talked to him like that in almost a year.

"Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I'll just go, okay, goodnight." Stiles babbled, before hanging up the phone as quickly as he could.

 _Shit_.

If he was honest with himself, which he rarely was, Stiles knew that Derek was the only person he wanted to talk to right now; and being so harshly shut down was both confusing and heartbreaking.

Why had Derek gotten so mad at him? Stiles had thought that things were good between the two of them. More than good….Stiles had actually thought that things were leading somewhere.

They bantered now instead of fighting. Derek no longer threatened to rip his throat out, with his teeth. Stiles had even talked to his dad and explained that Derek wasn't a criminal and that it had all been a misunderstanding.

He and Derek spent so much time together, had become so comfortable and familiar with each other, it was hard not to read into things. Stiles had finally started to let himself hope…and now…Stiles didn't even know what to think.

Stiles was brought out is musings by his phone ringing. He was just about to hit 'Accept' when it disappeared and his lock screen showed up, which was actually a picture of him and Derek from one afternoon they'd spent on the Preserve. It had taken a lot of begging and a cupcake to get Derek to take a picture with him, apparently, the man didn't like pictures…who would have thought.

He looked at his phone again and noticed he had three missed calls, all from Derek. So that call hadn't been the only one. Huh. How long had he been thinking?

Derek's contact picture and 'Sourwolf' appeared on the screen again, along with Derek's custom ringtone.

This time, Stiles pressed 'Accept' in time and put the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Stiles!" Derek's relieved voice came through, "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"Shit, sorry, I zoned out," Stiles replied, "Why did you call me back? You definitely sounded like you wanted me to leave you alone the first time I called."

Stiles was absolutely not pouting.

Nope.

Not even a little bit.

"I'm so sorry about that, that wasn't directed at you. Scott's been calling me non-stop for advice about how to propose to Allison and I just couldn't listen to him one more time!" Derek said, annoyance, that Stiles now realized wasn't directed at him, resurfacing.

"Ohhh," Stiles mumbled, well, that certainly made more sense. "So he's bugging you now? He was asking me the same thing earlier today until I threw the x-box controller at his head."

Tension melted from Stiles' body as he listened to Derek laugh. This was why Derek was the first person Stiles had wanted to call after he'd woken up. No one else, not even his dad or Scott, could make him feel better just by talking to him. There was something about Derek's voice that was just so incredibly soothing.

"Yeah, so that's why I was so annoyed when you called. I didn't even look at the caller-ID, I just picked up the phone," Derek said apologetically.

"No worries," Stiles replied, feeling a lot better now that he knew it wasn't _him_ that Derek had been mad at.

"How come you're up so late?" Derek asked after a moment of hesitation, "Oh! I completely forgot to ask, what did you need when you called me the first time?"

"Ah, it's nothing, nevermind," Stiles whispered, shrugging before he realized Derek couldn't see him.

"Stiles…what's wrong?" Derek urged, concern clear in his voice. "Tell me, please?"

Stiles chewed on his thumb nail as he decided if he should tell Derek the truth or not.

"I, uh, I had a nightmare," Stiles breathed out, "Really, it's nothing. Don't even worry about it! I shouldn't be bothering you because I had a silly nightmare. I, uh, I'm just gonna go. Sleep well, I'll talk to you tomorrow! Bye."

Stiles hung up the phone quickly, cheeks burning brightly in shame. He felt bad that he had hung up without even giving Derek a chance to reply but he had just felt so embarrassed. Honestly, what was he thinking? Calling the man he was in love with at 3am just because he had a nightmare….wait.. _in love with_? Okay, yes he was in love with Derek. Completely and maddeningly in love with the Alpha.

He needed some air.

Sliding out of bed, Stiles walked over to the window and opened it, closing his eyes and breathing in fresh air. It wasn't windy but there was a nice nighttime breeze and it was exactly what Stiles needed. He stood there for a few minutes, just breathing in fresh air and letting it calm his body.

When he opened his eyes, his heart jumped and he shrieked at the sight of glowing red eyes and the giant form of his Alpha hovering in the open window.

"Jesus, Derek! Give a guy some warning!" He yelped, clutching his hand to his rapidly beating heart.

"Sorry," Derek mumbled, eyes returning to their normal, beautiful hazel. Not that Stiles noticed what colour Derek's eyes were…it's not like he had dreamt about those eyes before…no, siree.

"What are you doing here?" Stiles asked, stepped back so Derek could climb through the window properly.

"You sounded weird on the phone and I was worried about you," Derek said, his tone low and soothing.

"Aw, well, thank you but you didn't need to come all the way down here," Stiles murmured, reaching his hand up to rub the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "I didn't mean to wake you or bother you. I'm fine."

"Stiles, you're not fine. If you were fine you wouldn't have called me," Derek countered, and Stiles cursed the man for knowing him so well.

"Okay, so I had a nightmare; it's no big deal and I should be able to deal with them on my own," Stiles huffed, looking away, "I should be used to them by now."

"Dammit, Stiles," Derek growled, catching Stiles by surprise when he gathered him in his arms, hugging Stiles tightly.

Stiles froze for a minute, not exactly sure what was going on. Yeah, him and Derek had gotten a lot closer over the last year but Derek didn't like physical contact. In fact, in all of the time Stiles had known him, he had only seen Derek hug someone a handful of times, and those times almost always occurred after a life-threatening situation.

Stiles melted into the stronger body of his Alpha. He wrapped his arms around Derek and pushed his face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent.

They just stood there for what seemed like forever, breathing each other in.

Finally, Derek broke the silence, "What was your dream about, Stiles?"

Stiles mumbled something into Derek's neck and, even with his wolf hearing, Derek couldn't understand it.

"What was that?" Derek coaxed, moving so he was no longer hugging Stiles, much to _both_ their dismay, and put his hands on the younger man's shoulders.

Stiles took a deep breath and said, "It was about my Mom."

Derek's lips formed an 'O' and once again, engulfed Stiles in his arms. He made a soft, soothing rumbling sound when he felt Stiles start trembling. He knew just how much Stiles missed his mom and how sad he felt after dreams about her, even if they were good dreams; and Derek was pretty sure this one hadn't been.

A soft, pain-filled whine left Derek's lips when he scented, then felt, Stiles' tears. He clutched the trembling body closer to him as if his proximity would make Stiles' pain go away. It was unfortunate that his ability to take away pain didn't extend to emotional pain. If it was possible, Derek would gladly take away every last drop of pain Stiles felt; and he'd do it with a smile on his face. He couldn't stand the thought of his mate being in pain and him not being able to do anything to help.

They stayed like that for a while; wrapped up in each other's arms.

Eventually, though, Stiles stopped trembling and his tears slowed. He let go of Derek and looked down; he couldn't bear to look Derek in the eye right now.

"Hey," Derek whispered, using his finger to gently guide Stiles' chin up so the boy had to look him in the eye, "It's okay."

Stiles didn't even know to which part Derek was saying it was okay, but he couldn't help but relax when he saw the absolute sincerity in Derek's eyes.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something but interrupted himself by yawning.

And just like that, the spell was broken. Derek chuckled, nudging Stiles towards his bed. Stiles didn't even protest; a wave of exhaustion had hit him and he was unable to muster the energy to argue with his Alpha.

"Come on, babe, time for bed," Derek said, his use of the endearment went unnoticed by the both of them.

Stiles garbled some nonsense before falling face first into his pillows and immediately fell asleep.

Derek snorted and made his way over to the window; looks like he'd be going back to the empty loft.

At least, that was his plan until he looked back at the clumsy, sleeping pile of the man he was pretty sure he was in love with and decided to stay.

One night couldn't hurt.

He'd have to leave before Stiles woke up but for now, all he wanted was to be next to Stiles.

Derek made sure the window was closed and locked, then went downstairs to make sure the house was secure. When he got back to Stiles' room, he approached the bed, slipped off his shoes and leather jacket, and climbed into bed next to Stiles.

As soon as he lay down, Stiles latched on to him like a baby octopus, all the while sleeping soundly.

Derek got comfortable and closed his eyes, breathing in Stiles' scent and listening to his slow, steady breathing.

With the man of his dreams wrapped around him, Derek proceeded to have the best sleep he'd had since his family had died.

* * *

Derek woke up to the sound of Stiles' door opening. He laid there for a few moments, trying to discern what was going on.

At first, he thought Stiles had gotten up to use the bathroom or get something to eat. But then Derek became aware of the warm body that was curled against his chest. Stiles was still sleeping soundly, so he hadn't been the one to open the door.

He looked up from Stiles' face to the door to see the Sheriff standing there, shock evident on his face. Not that anyone could blame him. Derek probably shouldn't have been there; not many fathers would want to find their barely legal kid in bed with an older former murder suspect.

Derek opened his mouth to say something but John simply put his finger to his lips, looking from Derek to Stiles. Derek understood his meaning and closed his mouth.

"I know you can hear me," The Sheriff whispered, "Thank you for looking out for him. He hasn't slept this well in months."

Now it was Derek's turn to be shocked. That's not at all what he had expected the Sheriff to say.

"I have to get back to the station but stay as long as you like, son," John finished, sending Derek a warm smile. The Sheriff closed the door quiet and Derek listened to him walk down the stairs, bustle around downstairs for a few minutes, and then heard the front door open and close, and the sound of his cruiser starting.

"Well, that was weird," Derek whispered to himself, looking down at the man sleeping on his chest. He brushes some of Stiles' hair away from his eyes; the boy had been growing it out and now was long enough to grip nicely.

Derek pressed a soft kiss to Stiles' forehead, got comfortable, and fell back asleep.

* * *

When Stiles woke up, Derek was the one still sleeping.

Stiles gazed at Derek while the man slept. He looked so peaceful; more peaceful than Stiles had ever seen him before.

He took in Derek's strong cheekbones, his sharp jawline, and not to mention, those magnificent eyebrows. He loved Derek's eyebrows. Stiles had never met someone who could tell him what they were thinking just by using their eyebrows.

Careful not to wake him up, Stiles gently traced Derek's features with the tips of his fingers.

Derek's nose crinkled cutely but he didn't wake up; in fact, he nuzzled closer and let out a sleepy murmur.

Stiles smiled, affection surging through his veins. He never thought he could feel this way about someone. It was an overwhelming and consuming feeling, and Stiles loved ever minute of it.

Even if Derek never returned his feelings, he was it for Stiles.

Stiles would never feel this way about any one else and to be honest, he didn't want to.

Derek was special.

Stiles leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Derek's lips, pouring all of his love and affection into the kiss.

Some part of him was startled when he felt Derek kiss him back but he shoved that feeling away and enjoyed the kiss.

It was a lazy, soft kiss. It wasn't rushed; it felt like they had all the time in the world.

They broke apart and Stiles beamed at the soft grin on Derek's lips.

"Hey," Derek whispered, all sleep-mussed and everything Stiles had ever dreamed of.

"Hey, back," Stiles replied, just as softly.

Stiles closed his eyes as Derek gently cupped his cheek and kissed him again. This time, the kiss was a little bit firmer but just as slow.

It felt kind of anti-climatic, getting together like this. And they were, together that is. Stiles didn't even have to ask, he just _knew_. He could feel that Derek felt the same way about him as he felt about Derek.

But in his mind, when they got together, Stiles had expected more of a show. A dramatic ending to their pining. But to be honest, this felt more real. This felt like them.

Derek interrupted his thoughts when he spoke, "Your dad saw me in here this morning."

"Oh? What did he say?" Stiles asked, worrying his lip.

"He said I could stay as long as I liked," Derek told him in a hushed whisper, "He called me son."

Stiles smiled at the emotion in Derek's eyes. He knew what it meant to him to have his dad call him that.

"You can, you know," Stiles said, "Stay as long as you like, I mean."

"You know that means I'll stay forever, right?" Derek wanted to make sure they were on the right page.

"Yes," Stiles assured, "If you want, you can stay forever."

Derek smiled and Stiles' heart melted. Yeah, he could feel like this forever.

They stayed in bed for the rest of the day, trading lazy kisses and hushed conversations.

That night, Stiles didn't have any nightmares; and with Derek by his side, he never did again.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it :)**

 **All reviews, follows, and favourites are loved and appreciated!**


End file.
